Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is a counseling approach that helps individuals to resolve their ambivalence about engaging in gambling addiction treatment in order to minimize and even stop gambling. The goal of this approach is to rapidly evoke internally motivated change, rather than externally guide the individual step-by-step through a recovery process.
Motivational interviewing (MI) is a directive, client-centered counselling style for eliciting behavior change by helping individuals with a gambling addiction to explore and resolve their ambivalence or reluctance to change. Motivational Interviewing MI is focused and goal-directed, and is designed to facilitate and engage intrinsic motivation within the individual in order to change their behavior. Examining and resolving ambivalence is its central purpose, and unlike some other less directive counseling techniques, the counselor is intentionally directive in pursuing this goal.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) integrates the cognitive restructuring approach – that is, thought-modification – found in cognitive therapy with the behavioral modification techniques found in behavioral therapy. It is an action-oriented form of psychosocial therapy that assumes that maladaptive (problematic) thinking patterns cause problematic behavior and “negative” emotions. Counselors work with the individual to identify both the thoughts and the behaviors that are causing the gambling addiction, and to change those thoughts in order to reduce gambling behaviors. In many cases, the individual may have deeply held beliefs which are also flawed and may need to be addressed.
Relapse avoidance is a central goal of gambling addiction counseling at the Center for Problem Gambling. Gambling relapse often begins as individuals who are in recovery from gambling addiction begin having problematic thoughts, and feelings, and start behaving in ways that create so much pain and so many problems, that a return to gambling seems like a good choice. The Gorski-CENAPS Model of Relapse Prevention Therapy is a comprehensive method for preventing individuals with a gambling addiction from returning to gambling after initial treatment, as well as for early intervention should gambling behaviors reoccur.
Harm Reduction Therapy (HRT) is a client-therapist collaboration that combines gambling addiction treatment with psychotherapy, so individuals can address both their addiction and the issues that may be contributing to it. HRT helps the gambler to clearly describe, recognize and take responsibility for, the harm being done to themselves and to others by gambling. HRT doesn’t require abstinence from gambling unless that is the goal of the individual, but rather, find ways for coping and reducing the harm to both the gambler and all others who lives are touched.